Hush, Little Alfie
by kimmyshhhh
Summary: "Hush. Hush, little Alfie," Arthur cooed. He rubbed his cheek on the back of his head affectionately. "What's the matter?"


Rain pounded onto the cobblestone streets of London, as it did most days. As a young boy of only four human years, Alfred gaped at the falling drops. He stared in fascination as they splashed between the stones of the street, creating miniscule tidal waves. They splattered onto surrounding stones like a small explosion, only to be outshined by the next rapid falling raindrop plummeting centimeters away. A million drops falling in one short second. 

Alfred gaped up at the origins of his amazement. The dark storm clouds roared and threw the water down at Alfred's face. The rain pelted his skin, blurring his vision He scrunched his nose in dislike for the new cold wetness that attacked his face. Alfred whimpered and outstretched his hand over his head. His wrist stiffened and his hand flattened into the universal sign.

"Stop!" he squealed to the clouds, but the rain continued to hammer his face.

"Alfred," Arthur laughed. He stood in the doorway to his Victorian house, watching the young colony. He shook his head as the small boy fought the rain. Alfred whirled around to face his older brother. His bottom lip jutted out and eyebrows arched in fury. He clenched his fists by his sides and glared at Arthur, who grinned. "What are you doing? Come here. You're going to catch pneumonia."

Alfred crossed his arms, holding his left arm completely over his right. His bottom lip stuck out even more; as he brought his chin down to nearly touch his chest. He glowered at Arthur with a strong willed stubbornness that would stick with Alfred throughout his lifetime, and wildly shook his head no. His blond hair stuck to his pink face, expect for a single tuff that held straight up, despite the heavy rain. The elder nation would never admit it, but Alfred charmed him. 

"Don't make me come get you," Arthur warned, with an expression of mock seriousness. He raised one thick eyebrow and crossed his arms, mimicking the small boy. Alfred stuck out his tongue, closing his eyes and jutting out his chin. Arthur suppressed a smile and rolled up his sleeves. "Bloody hell, the things I do for you."

Arthur dashed out into the rain and scooped up Alfred. Murmuring complaints about the weather, he scurried back off toward the house. Alfred wrapped his arms around his brother's neck and his legs around his waist. He held on as if Arthur was the only thing keeping him alive. 

Once inside the parlor, Arthur attempted to place the younger onto the floor, but failed. The boy refused to loosen his grip, leaving Arthur kneeling awkwardly on the floor. 

"Come on, Alfred. Off we go," Arthur tried once again to pull the boy off of him, but he wouldn't budge. The boy further nuzzled his face into the crook of Arthur's neck. "Come on, now. Let go."

"No!" Alfred shouted. Suddenly, he began to sob into the older nation's shoulder. Arthur threw his arms around his brother and cradled him. He carefully made his way onto the couch and held Alfred tight to his chest. He stroked his back and kissed his damp hair.

"Hush. Hush, little Alfie," Arthur cooed. He rubbed his cheek on the back of his head affectionately. "What's the matter?"

"I don't want you to leave!" Alfred wailed. He punctuated the statement with a pound of his tiny fist on Arthur's back and continued to sob even harder.

"Hushhh. Hushhh, little Alfie," Arthur whispered, kissing the boy's hair again. He rested his lips there for a short moment, breathing in his scent. "I'm here. Artie's here. Hushhh, I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes, you are! Yes, you are! Yes, you are!" Alfred cried, speaking faster with each word. He stopped sobbing for a moment and pulled away from his brother. His big blue eyes stared into Arthur's green. Tears wetted his flushed cheeks and his lips quivered. "You always leave me in that big house. All by myself. For days and days and days. With no one to play with. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it!"

He clung to Arthur, once again, and bawled. Arthur understood what the boy meant and hugged him tightly. Tears welled in his eyes, but did not spill over. He hated leaving Alfred all alone, but he couldn't stay with him. He had other colonies to visit and take care of. He had his own government and people. He had his own boss to listen to. He wanted to keep Alfred with him always, but he simply couldn't. Arthur pushed these thoughts out of his mind and focused on the present moment.

"Hushhh, little Alfie," he soothed. He rubbed the boy's back again. "I'm here now. We're together now."

He rested his cheek on Alfred's head and, after a moment or two, whispered into his hair. "How about we play a game…? How about we play pirates? How's that sound?"

Alfred stopped sobbing almost immediately and sat up to peer at Arthur. His big eyes blinked in disbelief.

"You want to play pirates? _With me?_" he pointed to his chest. Arthur simply smiled and nodded. After a moments thought, he added: "I can be the hero, right? I can be _your _hero?"

"Of course," Arthur laughed. He wiped the tears off the grinning child's cheeks. He looked into Alfred's eyes, treasuring this little moment. They came so rarely.

…...

**Well, I just like to write Al was a little kid. That's all there is to say.**

Ugh. I haven't written (more like finished) anything in so long that I had trouble ending it. Sorry that it's a little lame. Oh well. It'll do.

Hope you enjoyed it. 'Cause I sure enjoyed writing it~

**Reviews are cool, if you wanna leave one~**


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